1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to an ink-jet recording apparatus which performs printing by ejecting ink to a recording medium and a cleaning blade which wipes ink adhering to an ink ejection surface.
2. Discussion of Related Art
JP-A-2001-105597 discloses a liquid discharging apparatus in which ink adhering to a face surface (an ink discharging surface) of a liquid discharging head (an ink-jet head) is wiped by moving the liquid discharging head with the face surface held in contact with a top end of a cleaning blade. In the disclosed liquid discharging apparatus, the cleaning blade has a smooth water-repellent film with a substantially uniform thickness formed on its outer surface. The water-repellent film formed on the cleaning blade is effective to prevent the base material of the cleaning blade from being changed in quality by the ink wiped away from the face surface.
In the liquid discharging apparatus disclosed in the above-indicated Publication JP-A-2001-105597, however, the water-repellent film of the cleaning blade has the same degree of water-repellent property at any position of the outer surface of the cleaning blade. Because the ink adhered to the top end of the cleaning blade moves on the surface of the cleaning blade in a direction away from the top end by its own weight, there may be a risk that the ink remains in the vicinity of the top end of the cleaning blade.
In the meantime, JP-A-2004-168002 discloses an ink-jet recording apparatus in which an absorbable member is disposed on a surface of a cleaning blade with water-repellent property, which surface is to be in contact with a nozzle surface (an ink discharging surface) of an ink-jet head. The ink adhered to the nozzle surface is scraped by the cleaning blade, and the scraped ink is absorbed by the absorbable member.